Dominated (3 page)

“Marcus? A kid? I don’t think so. There’s an older guy named Marcus. He’s about twenty-five and lives with his parents in Iowa. He’s mentally challenged and often behaves oddly. Why?”

Ahh, that had to be him. Somehow, Gabe hadn’t envisioned someone that old. His parents needed to keep better tabs on him if he was wandering around scaring girls.

“He’s frightening young women. Why is he running around here alone?”

“What? Are you serious?” His mother raised an eyebrow. “How do you know?”

“Because one of them just fled this Marcus character and ducked in here to escape him.”

“Crap. Okay. I’ll talk to his parents. He’s usually harmless.” Caroline headed back toward the door.

Gabe followed her. “He wasn’t harmless tonight. In fact, he scared this girl out of her mind forcing himself on her.” If his mother was willing to take the reins on this one, Gabe was more than willing to let her. But he had every intention of ensuring his mother knew how serious he was.

She turned toward him as they stepped into the hall. “I’m on it. Thanks for letting me know.” She took off at a clipped pace, leaving Gabe in her wake.

Good. He needed a minute to pull himself back together before he entered the main hall.

He had no need to make himself available in the singles room. After fortifying himself for the experience for the last several hours, the idea was now moot. Kathleen Davis was his mate. He might as well join his parents and their friends at the adult gathering.

The entire gathering was a strategic arrangement so singles could meet and hopefully find their mate in other singles. Adults who were already mated met with other adults to discuss wolf politics and happenings all over the continent.

There was no rule that stated single adults couldn’t mingle with mated ones and vice versa. It was just understood that generally speaking, available wolves flocked to other available wolves.

Gabriel Albertson was no longer an available wolf and his mixture of relief and distress over the fact followed him into the great hall in search of his father.

Edward Albertson waved toward his son from across the room as soon as Gabe entered. Neither man was difficult to spot in a crowd. They both stood over six feet and sported blond hair that made people glance their way.

As he sauntered across the room as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Gabe caught the gaze of many relatives and friends, most of whom he could barely remember from years ago but assumed he should know if his memory were jarred.

“Gabriel.” His father patted him on the back as an introduction. Edward Albertson was surrounded by his friends, men he’d known most of his life and enjoyed reacquainting himself with every two years. “You all remember Gabe, right?”

They nodded and greeted him in kind.

His father went on to explain how Gabe had done in school and how successful he now was as a pediatrician.

Gabriel blushed and ducked away as soon as possible to grab a glass of wine from the bar. Now that his entire stance on this weekend was altered, he just wanted to indulge in a few glasses of Merlot and alter his thinking.

The moment he turned back from the bar, he scented her.
Kathleen
.

She was in the room. Why? Did she also know she was fated for him? Had she decided not to return to the singles room for the same reason he’d opted against it? He smiled to himself. Perhaps she’d actually taken his advice and made a beeline for her parents.

How was he going to endure her presence even for one minute? What he needed was to beg out and go for a run. The longer he subjected himself to the scent of Kathleen Davis, the more tortured he would become.

Chances were Kathleen had no idea he was her mate. She was too young. Unless the wolf claiming his mate was about the same age, Destiny had a way of keeping the younger one in the dark until reasonably appropriate. In this case, Gabe feared years of solitude while he waited.

Hoping to make a casual escape, Gabe sauntered toward the door, half holding his breath and keeping his head low as he weaved through the crowd.

Before he could reach the exit, a hand landed on his shoulder. “Gabriel Albertson. So good to see you.”

Gabe lifted his head to find himself staring into the eyes of a man he was sure he’d met, but couldn’t remember. Behind him stood the one and only Kathleen Davis. Shit. Was this her father?

“Sir.” He swallowed and kept his gaze locked on the man in front of him, carefully glancing only for a second at Kathleen.

“My daughter tells me you helped her out a while ago. Thanks. I appreciate your assistance. If I’d known Marcus was such a bully, I would have paid more attention. I’ve had words with his parents. They are taking care of the matter.”

“It was no problem at all.”
Unless you count the fact that your daughter is my mate as a problem since I’m twice her age
.

The dark-haired man reached out a hand. “Todd Davis. You probably don’t remember who I am.” He grinned and stepped aside to force his daughter to the forefront. “And you’ve met Kathleen.”

Gabe nodded at her. She stood with her lips pursed together, her gaze not quite reaching his. Was she holding her breath? Hmm.

Todd began to ramble about medicine and the economy. Gabe nodded appropriately while keeping half an eye on his mate as she attempted to stand still next to her father.

He almost chuckled when she crossed her legs and squeezed them together. The girl was not unaffected. She might not know she was fated to be his, but she did show signs that her body was reacting to his presence. How had he not noticed this earlier?

Because you were too concerned with your own cock to notice what was happening to your mate’s precious pussy
.

When Kathleen twisted her head behind her to take a breath, he knew. She squirmed in discomfort. Todd welcomed another man into the conversation and introduced him to Gabe. Gabe flicked his gaze toward Kathleen and let it land on her chest. Her nipples were pebbled under the thin sundress and what must have been an equally thin bra.

He didn’t realize how long he’d been staring until she gasped and folded her arms across her chest.

He smirked and glanced back at the men. Let her squirm. He was enjoying her plight so much it overshadowed his need to flee the room and give her time and space—like five years and two states. Ugh.

How long had it been since he’d made a woman squirm with just his stare alone? He shook the thought from his mind and stood taller, straightening his facial expression.
Stop it, Gabe. She’s too young for this line of thinking
.

Eventually, Kathleen squeezed her father’s arm, leaned up on tiptoes to whisper in his ear, and fled the room as though she were late for someplace she just remembered she had to be.

Gabe counted slowly to five to keep from being obvious and then casually excused himself from the conversation he’d not paid one moment’s attention to and followed his tiny sprite out of the room.

Her scent lingered in the hall, making it easy for him to choose heading left. Only a few people meandered in the entryway. Several nodded at him, but he paid them little attention.

Why on earth was he following Kathleen? He needed to stop this madness and leave her alone.

Hell, she was probably in the restroom and if she knew what was best for her, she’d stay there and not come back out.

Except Gabe was currently ruled by his cock instead of his big head and he had no intention of letting her escape him again this evening.

If she knew she was meant to be claimed by him, he wanted to confront her on that now. No sense spending several years staring at her from the sidelines if she was already privy to the notion. Might as well get the initial confrontation over with and assure her he intended to be a gentleman while she finished high school.

He doubted he could wait much longer than that since his heart was pounding out of his chest, his palms were sweating, and his dick was leaking precum inside his pants. His demise was worsening by the minute, and he was perpetuating the state with his insistence on following his tender mate.

That thought made him moan inside. Gabriel Albertson was no ordinary lover. He was a Dom. Had been for years. Early in medical school he’d met a woman who was submissive in every way. He’d learned quickly that he loved ruling her, commanding her, making her beg for his touch. He’d never go back to vanilla again.

And now? Holy shit. Kathleen Davis was a sweet innocent girl. Even in a few years she wouldn’t be ready for his kind of dominance. The simple commands he placed on her in the den had flustered her. She’d smelled of arousal though. Did she have a submissive bone in her? Only time would tell.

Gabe leaned casually against the wall around the corner from the bathroom, pretending to check messages on his phone. He didn’t even know if the device was upside down or not. Nor did he care.

Since no one was looking, he adjusted his cock and squeezed it tight for a moment. He needed to come so bad, he wished he could stop time for a few minutes and hold the rest of the planet in limbo so he could jerk off without moving from his position in the hall.

With his eyes closed for a brief moment of respite, he was startled by the small voice that interrupted him. “Are you following me?”

He whipped his gaze toward Kathleen and smiled. “I . . .  Yes.” No sense lying to her. That was no way to start their lives together.

“And why would that be? Are you still worried about Marcus? ’Cause I heard he left with his parents.” She tipped her head to one side, but her smile was coy. She was teasing him.

He was so fucked.

Gabe swallowed the lump in his throat. He opened his mouth to speak, but just stared at her. Her face was filled with mirth at his plight. She had to know.

When he realized his hand still held his cock in his grip, he almost died on the spot. Jesus. What the hell was wrong with him?

He jerked his hand up and stuffed his phone in his pocket.

Kathleen leaned against the wall alongside him and ducked her head. Her long thick curls curtained her face and hid her expression.

Seconds ticked by. Neither of them spoke.

What the hell was he supposed to say?
Hi. So, it appears we’re mates. I’m way too old for you. How long would you like me to wait?
He felt like a pervert even thinking about her wet pussy and pebbled nipples. He could smell her arousal and knew if he swiped a finger between her legs under that thin short skirt, he would find her dripping wet.

She cleared her throat. “Now what do we do?” she asked.

“I don’t know. This is strange territory,” he muttered, turning to face her, leaning his shoulder against the wall. Without the wall, he might fall on his face. He didn’t want to say the wrong things, so he went with nothing at all.

*

Kath lifted her gaze toward the man who held her heart in his hands. His look was one of confusion, and he wasn’t happy. He must have realized she was his mate when he started acting all strange in the den she’d fled to. How had she missed the clues? She knew there was something about him that rattled her, but it wasn’t until he began to speak with her father that it sunk in. She’d nearly slunk to the floor deflated when she’d realized she was his.

His social cues in the den had been all over the map. He’d been bossy and demanding and almost angry.

Why had he followed her? Obviously he knew they were mates. Did he perhaps not want a mate? Was that why he’d been in hiding all these years? Avoiding fate?

She almost felt bad for the man. Almost. He’d finally come home and made himself available, and the first woman who inadvertently pops into his quiet reverie is in fact destined for him.

Was she not what he’d expected in a mate? She knew she was young and inexperienced, but didn’t men like that in a woman? After all, he was quite old for her too. It scared the piss out of her thinking about how old he must be. At least late twenties. He’d been on his own for many years. She still lived with her parents. She must seem like such a baby to him. And she felt like one too, standing next to him in her sundress and sandals. He seemed like a man who usually spent time in the company of sophisticated women in classy outfits and high heels. The suit he was wearing cost more than her entire wardrobe.

Her family was average middle class. Her dad was a salesman for a major electronics chain. Her mom was a substitute teacher. The Albertsons, on the other hand, were wealthy. They owned several acres of land and all three of their children had attended prestigious universities. Gabriel was the oldest.

They continued to stare at each other in a sort of standoff. What was the matter with him? Why did he insist on glaring at her as though all of this were somehow her fault?

The knot in the pit of her stomach that screamed for release didn’t allow her to spend much time dwelling on his problem. She was far too consumed with her own plight. No matter how tight she squeezed her legs together, her sex still ached. She wanted to bend over at the waist and gasp for oxygen as though she’d run a race. But that would be awkward.

For whatever reason, he wasn’t pleased with this arrangement.

She was surprised she hadn’t realized he was her mate as quickly as he had. She must have been so worked up over Marcus, she couldn’t quite weed through her emotions to recognize the reason for her intense reaction to Gabriel was that they were destined for each other.

He let his gaze wander down her body and back up. She felt like she was under a microscope, trapped for his inspection. Did she not measure up?

“You
know
,” he finally stated. “That’s also strange.”

Why is that strange?
She narrowed her gaze, trying to read him.
Don’t both mates usually know they are destined for each other?
She nodded. Though it wasn’t necessary.

Her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth, and she couldn’t make sentences under his scrutiny. Although his scent filled the hall, a deeply masculine smell that made her want to groan, she grew angry. Her frustration dampened her arousal.